Psalm 51:8-10

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Psalm 51:8 tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
2. Psalm 51:8 sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
3. Psalm 51:8 tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
4. Psalm 51:9 sn In this context Hide your face from my sins means “Do not hold me accountable for my sins.”
5. Psalm 51:9 tn See the note on the similar expression “wipe away my rebellious acts” in v. 1.
6. Psalm 51:10 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.
7. Psalm 51:10 tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”